iBerry Auxus Nuclea X review: Cheapest octa-core has quite a few compromises

The iBerry Auxus Nuclea X created quite a buzz when it launched as it’s currently the cheapest octa-core smartphone you can buy. However, dropping in such a powerful chipset at such a low price usually comes with some compromises. So where has iBerry cut corners in order to achieve this tempting price tag?   Design and Build We’ve already posted an unboxing video of the Nuclea X, where we had a look at the bundle and quick tour of the phone. If you tuned into that then you’ll know that while the X is built solidly, it severely lacking in aesthetics. The phone looks very generic and doesn’t have any identity of it’s own to distinguish it from the crowd. [caption id=“attachment_224498” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Build is good buy looks very ordinary[/caption]   Thankfully, its sturdy build ensures it can easily handle a few knocks and bumps of everyday use. The button placement is quite good and they fall into place nicely when you hold it. All the ports are placed on the top. [caption id=“attachment_224499” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Nice accents on the buttons[/caption]   The rear cover snaps off pretty easily to reveal the two SIM slots and microSD card slot. We also have a 13MP camera and a dual LED flash. [caption id=“attachment_224491” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] The capacitive buttons[/caption]   Overall, the Nuclea X looks and feels like a budget phone and there’s no indication to the power that lies beneath. It’s not particularly pleasing to the eye as well but we guess iBerry had to make some compromises and that shows in the X’s design.   Features The 5-inch HD display is of the OGS (One Glass Solution) variety. This fusion makes the entire panel quite thin and improves responsiveness. However, the panel doesn’t seem to be an IPS one. While the colours are reproduced well, the viewing angles and vividness seems to be lacking. You even get Corning’s Gorilla Glass as an added bonus. We did notice that the ambient light sensor takes a long time to automatically adjust the brightness. If you move from a dark to bright area or simply unlock your phone, it takes a good 2 seconds before the brightness is dialled up. [caption id=“attachment_224495” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Ui is pretty simple[/caption]   The Nuclea X is powered by Android 4.2.2 with a promised upgrade to a higher version (according to their site). The interface is mostly stock but iBerry has used its own icon set and animations. The latter causes some lag while entering the app drawer but other than that, it’s a pretty smooth experience. [caption id=“attachment_224494” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Some of the new gestures[/caption]   iBerry has added a couple of unique features like Floating Notifications. They’ve tried to replicate the Moto X’s Active Display, which lets you view your notifications without unlocking the phone. The other one is Gesture Search. This app lets you find files and apps on your phone by writing the name of it.   Open Mic+ is another app which lets you use the “Ok Google” hot phrase to wake Google Now. You have to have the app running in the background though and you can also set to detect a wave of your hand over the camera or a couple of shakes. We also have something called ‘Shake Trigger’ which can be programmed to open certain apps when you shake the phone. [caption id=“attachment_224492” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Posts strong numbers in benchmarks[/caption]   The Nuclea X is powered by the MedaTek’s MT6592 octa-core chipset. You also get 1GB of RAM to accompany it. The Nuclea X blitzes through the benchmarks and posts some very strong numbers. App performance is also very good, especially seen in games.   Media The Nuclea X features the stock (i.e AOSP) audio and video player. The audio level through the speaker is average and enough for alerts. You get 8GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB. [caption id=“attachment_224496” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Stock music and video player[/caption]   Full HD video playback is also possible and the Nuclea X exhibits good colour reproduction. The screen smudges very easily however, making it quite a task to keep clean and enjoy your video.   Connectivity The iBerry Nuclea Auxus X supports 3G and 2G. You even get Wi-Fi ‘n’, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS, Miracast and USB OTG. We tried a 16GB SanDisk Dual Drive and it was detected just fine. [caption id=“attachment_224493” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Some of the misc. apps[/caption]   Camera The 13MP camera is a big disappointment. Not only does it take ages to focus on anything, it simply refuses to shoot macros. The quality of images is pretty average at best. You get the usual suite of scene modes and EIS for video modes as well. [caption id=“attachment_224502” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] Simply cannot do macros[/caption]   Battery life The 2800 mAh battery offers strictly average battery backup. We clocked in a total battery life of just 8 hours in our battery test. This means the phone will barely last you a full day if you do a lot of multimedia activity. [caption id=“attachment_224489” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] The 13MP camera is a big disappointment[/caption]   Verdict and price in India At Rs 13,000, the iBerry Nuclea Auxus X is a good option if you swear by specifications alone. Its octa-core chipset ensures strong gaming and multimedia performance and the display is good for watching videos on the go. Apart from this though, the phone is quite underwhelming. Build and aesthetics leave a lot to be desired, the battery life and camera is strictly average and the UI is not the snappiest we’ve come across. If the latter parts are important to you then we recommend the Motorola Moto G instead.   It’s very easy to bring out the cheapest octa-core phone but in doing so, there will be many compromises and the Nuclea X is one example of this. Like we said, if you just want the bragging rights of having eight cores then the Nuclea X is the cheapest route to take. However, if you want a good Android without spending too much, there’s always the Moto G.